Vertebral end-plate depression: report of two patients without hemoglobinopathy

Center vertebral end-plate depression was originally reported to be pathognomonic for sickle cell disease. Two patients without hemoglobinopathy were found to have this deformity. One patient has congenital hereditary spherocytosis; the other has no blood dyscrasia but is osteopenic. Therefore, although this deformity is usually due to sickle cell disease, it is not pathognomonic.